Blizzard entertainment's MMO retains its status as the most popular subscription-based game in the marketplace, Activision said. It's also one the only major subscription-based MMOs on the market, with many rivals opting for free-to-play models instead cheap WoTLK Gold.

In a call to discuss the financial results after earnings, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said "significant and exciting new content" will be being added to World of Warcraft . No further details were announced. Blizzard entertainment recently registered "Warlords of Draenor."

The World of Warcraft subscriber figure was revealed in the Activision's latest quarterly earnings report to September 30. Net revenue for the period was $657 million, which is compared to $751 million the year before. Overall, Activision Blizzard posted a loss of $56 million in the quarter, which is compared to profits of $226 million last year.

Net revenue from digital channels during the quarter totaled 399 million dollars and accounted for 61 % of the quarter's total net revenue, Activision Blizzard said. World of Warcraft : Ghosts launched yesterday, which generated 1 billion dollars in sales on its debut day but this information is not included in the earnings report for Activision today.

"Our third-quarter results exceeded our expectations and we're now able to make a change to our outlook for 2013 net revenues and earnings per share," Kotick said. "Robust constant commitment to our key franchises led to digital revenue, which made up the majority of our revenue. This quarter has shown that games like World of Warcraft engage and keep our players engaged all year."

During the quarter, Activision Blizzard became an independent company for the first time in five years with a share buyback from Vivendi that was officially approved in October buy WoW WoTLK Classic Gold.